*Edit* sorry, i guess i should have started a new thread. i didn't realize that this was in the "LED Flashlights" sub-forum. could this be moved to the "Headlamps" sub-forum please? thank you.
is there a good, inexpensive, and not impossible-to-procure bulb (in the US) for the Petzl Zoom Zora that will outperform a Rayovac K4SB bulb? the Zoom Zora is a 4AA headlamp that uses an E10 (miniature screw base) bulb. the K4SB is a 4.8V .5A (2.4W) screw base bulb and i can get them for a buck a piece locally. performance with them is okay, but not quite what i was hoping for. i tried Reflectalite and a few other sources and couldn't find anything that seemed better. i'm thinking about just transplanting some 4.8V .79A PR base bulbs or a 4D Magnum Star bulb to screw bases and using those, but i wanted to see if there were easier alternatives out there that i'm missing.
btw, i'm not looking for an LED drop in. i have LED headlamps for regular uses. sometimes, i just really want to use an incan. i've tried warm LED's, hi CRI LED's, but they aren't quite there yet IMO. maybe they'll improve enough in a few years for me to ditch my incans, but not yet.
i use a Princeton Tec Vortec when finishing up yardwork in the evening, use a 4D Magnum Star Xenon bulb in it, and am happy with the performance, but i wanted to try a headlamp that had better weight distribution as the Vortec is very front heavy. not to mention, mine is pretty old and scratched up and it's about time to retire it. i love the Vortec, love how simple and tough it is, and love that it takes a PR bulb, but the front-rear balance just sucks. unfortunately, there aren't many options when it comes to incan headlamps that have decent power and use a PR bulb. i couldn't find any PR bulb headlamps with a rear battery pack at all. so i started looking at the Zoom.
I got kind of lucky and found a new-in-box Petzl Zoom Zora on eBay a few weeks ago. got it for a pretty good price too considering Zoom Zora's are a lot less common than regular Zooms, and considering used Zooms aren't as cheap as one would think. This is my very first Zoom of any kind.
i figured the screw base on the Zoom would be an issue, screw base bulbs being harder to find than PR base bulbs (in the US), but i was hoping that the K4SB bulb would suffice. i would say that it produces about 20 lumens whereas the 4D Magnum Star produces something closer to 40. 20 is just barely enough to be acceptable and would like to get closer to 40.
